Town Square

Disappearing threads

Recently a number of threads dealing with national issues have mysteriously disappeared after being around for at least a day.

Would the editors care to explain why they are waiting, sometimes for over 24 hours, before they remove a thread completely. Also some of these threads have been limited to registered members.
What are the editors afraid of?

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Comments (12)

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Posted by svatoid
a resident of Charleston Gardens
on Jul 1, 2009 at 11:06 am

I see that another thread about the Honduran situation has been deleted, as well as Walter's comments on this thread.
Would one of the editors or perhaps Jay himself care to explain this new policy?

Posted by Perspective
a resident of Midtown
on Jul 1, 2009 at 12:16 pm

What is happening? I wrote the new Honduran thread as carefully as I could and with no more editorializing as is written in every paper in this nation headlining the Honduran policies as a "coup"...

What is happening, please explain.

Obviously, privately owned and all that can do whatever it wants to, but honestly I believe a lot of the pleasure of opposing points of view ( contentiousness, if you prefer a less positive spin, along with a ton of learning opportunity, is on the way out with the deletions that are happening.

Even svatoid, who opposes my viewpoint on Honduras bitterly, ( or at least did yesterday), is asking why the Honduras thread I re-wrote as carefully as I could this morning was deleted.

Well, at least Breitbart and a few little papers in the USA are starting to pick up the truth of Honduras and actually report it.

Anyone who wants the facts about Honduras ( no, it is not a Military Coup, read the truth), go to Web Link at breitbart, a well balanced, factual "rest of the story" story on the whole truth of Honduras. Then decide for yourself which side you would be on...And ask why this is not being reported in our papers, allowed on our threads here, or proclaimed from the USA, the former defender of Democracies?

Yes, I am sure they are well-intentioned edits, but we all know what the road to you-know-where is paved with! The deletion of uncomfortable or unpopular thoughts and opinions leads to tyranny.

Just think about the first steps that dictators or dictator wannebes take...we have been watching this history repeat itself in a certain oil-rich country in South America, ( people who disagreed with him lost jobs, were threatened, books banned..radio shows banned...newspapers shut down...now TV station targeted and in danger of being shut down...

Noam Chomsky: "Goebbels was in favor of free speech for views he liked. So was Stalin. If you're in favor of free speech, then you're in favor of freedom of speech precisely for views you despise. Otherwise, you're not in favor of free speech."
Noam Chomsky, Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media (1992).

Justice Douglas: "Restriction of free thought and free speech is the most dangerous of all subversions. It is the one un-American act that could most easily defeat us".

George Orwell: "In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act."

"The deletion of uncomfortable or unpopular thoughts and opinions leads to tyranny."

Awww, c'mon. Our little PA (bi)Weekly is hardly tyrant material. And after all, this forum is private property which its owner can regulate as it wishes. That's capitalism, people. Now please stop all this socialistic whining.

Posted by OhlonePar
a resident of Duveneck/St. Francis
on Jul 2, 2009 at 11:35 am

My take is that different editors have different tolerance levels. I was sort of amazed how long some debates went on over the last week, so I wasn't surprised that someone started pressing the delete key Monday.

Posted by Perspective
a resident of Midtown
on Jul 3, 2009 at 11:47 am

Well, I see that the same editors must be at work at the SF Chronicle..all I had time for this morning was a quick glance at the headline where there wasn't, for some strange reason, anything about the most amazing news of this week.

WE ARE NOW EQUAL TO EUROPE!!! AT LAST!!! THE DEMOCRAT PARTY DREAM!! WE HAVE MATCHED EUROPE'S UNEMPLOYMENT LEVEL OF 9.5 %

Europe, I am sure, is delighted with our Presidential pick, as are the Honduran and Iranian peoples for democracy. Georgia, of the former USSR, will be equally happy soon. And the rest of the world, as it sinks economically along with us, is also delighted.

This good news should help anyone's migraines or annoyance with us false prophets. After all, as Obama told dissenters concerning his "economic recovery" plans..your side won! I would be so proud if only I had voted for him!

Posted by svatoid
a resident of Charleston Gardens
on Jul 8, 2009 at 8:52 am

Another thread has disappeared--this time one on Michael Jackson.
would the editors care to enlighten us as to the standards they are adhering to now--or should we just assume it is the old "this is our forum and we will edit as we please" way of doing things.

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